8:00pm: The Jets actually waived running back Troymaine Pope to originally make room for Davis, according to Mehta (via Twitter).
6:09pm: Knile Davis‘ tenure with the Jets didn’t even last three hours. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the team is planning on releasing the running back as they finalize a deal with veteran C.J. Spiller. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News confirms (via Twitter) that the Jets will indeed by signing Spiller. Davis was claimed off waivers by the Jets earlier today.
Similar to Davis, Spiller will be joining his third team this season. The 29-year-old started the campaign with the Saints, and he was quickly signed by the Seahawks following his release by New Orleans. The former first-rounder only had three rushes for nine yards during his two-game tenure in Seattle, and he added another five catches for 43 yards and a touchdown. The Seahawks ended up cutting bait with the veteran last week.
Spiller is certainly an upgrade over Davis, as the veteran running back put up solid numbers in 2015. During his lone full-season with the Saints, Spiller rushed for 112 yards on 36 carries. He also added another 34 catches for 239 yards and two scores. Meanwhile, Davis only collected 96 offensive yards in 2015, and he’s followed that up with only 21 total yards in 2016. Rapoport tweets that the Jets had been in talks with Spiller, but they claimed Davis as insurance in case the veteran didn’t sign. Ultimately, Spiller decided to take the Jets’ offer.
The Jets already have a crowded running back corps, led by Matt Forte and Bilal Powell. Spiller will likely compete with rookie Troymaine Pope to be the team’s third-string running back. Spiller will certainly get an opportunity, as he’ll be reunited with former Bills coach Chan Gailey, who is now the Jets’ offensive coordinator. Spiller’s best seasons came under Gailey, including a 2012 season where he rushed for 1,244 yards.